Hittin' The Road
by its-never-lupus
Summary: I suck at summaries...please just read and review! SnitchSkitts, BlinkSpot, PieItey(last two will come out eventually, towards the end.) Enjoy! This is totally random, so please forgive the abrupt subject changes, and the random bursting into song. OK!
1. Go West, Young Man!

I was reading "Where Have All The Muses Gone?" by Griffin Parker, and I was thinking that there aren't enough stories about the Newsies on road trips. Now let's get one thing straight: I am NOT, repeat NOT trying to imitate her story, it's incredible, no one could imitate it anyway. Just so we're clear. With THAT out of the way, I don't own any of the characters. Unless I make someone up. There will be some slash in here, Blink/Spot, Snitch/Skitts, Pie/Itey, and whatever the hell else crosses my mind. Enjoy!

**BLINK**

"JACK!"

"WHAT?! For God's sake, Blink, you've been either yelling that you're bored or singing Red Hot Chili Peppers for the past HOUR! What the HELL is it THIS time?!"

"I'm bored."

"AAAAAAAAUUGGGGGH!!"

"This is college, Blinky-boi, it's SUPPOSED to be boring" Spot said from his place halfway across the room. He'd been laying there watching a Danny Phantom marathon for about three hours, and I was pretty sure he'd sprouted roots. After all, I'd looked over at him an hour ago, and two hours ago, and lots of other times in between, and he still looked to say.

Not that I was staring, or anything. It's just that he hadn't moved, or if he had, it was only a millimeter to the right, or something.

I rolled my eye, got up, and stuck 'By The Way' in the CD player. 'Throw Away Your Television' started blaring out of the speakers, much to my roommate's chagrin.

"BLINK! I SWEAR TO GOD, IF YOU DON'T TURN THAT OFF, I'LL SIC LIZ ON YOUSE!"

This wasn't a real threat, since Liz wouldn't hurt me, she'd just get severely annoying, and I'd eventually run away screaming in terror.

There was a pounding on the door, I'm surprised we heard it, my music WAS pretty loud.

"BLINK!" came the voice of Liz, over 'Throw Away You Television'.

"WHAT?" I shouted back.

"TURN IT DOWN FOR A SECOND, WILL YOUSE?"

I turned it down one or two notches. "What?" I asked again.

"Could youse possibly turn it down? My roommates are trying to study."

"But not you, of course" piped up Itey, chuckling from the corner.

She grimaced down at him. "Are you kidding me?! I've been working my ASS off to try to ace this stupid chem test. My parents said if I don't get at least an 85%, they're yankin' me outta flag. That CANNOT happen."

She had finally noticed Spot in the corner. "Wasn't he there the LAST time I came in here yelling at you to turn it down?"

I nodded. "Yep. He's been watching Danny Phantom for THREE HOURS. And he still hasn't moved. It's starting to scare me a little, honestly. It's like he grew roots, or somethin'."

Liz picked up a pen and started chewing on it. "So, what are you lazy slugs doing for fall break?" she asked.

"We've been TRYING to decide that for awhile now" Jack said, sounding pissed off, "But we CAN'T, 'cause somebody's music is TOO DAMN LOUD!!" He shot a very pointed glare at me, and I just rolled my eye again.

"We're thinking of taking a road trip, but we're not sure yet" came Spot's voice from the floor, and Liz jumped. "I'd almost forgotten you were there, Spot. Where would you guys go if you went on a road trip?"

"I, personally want to go to Vegas, but I've been shot down by everyone. Except Race, of course."

"Of course. Hey, I've got an idea! When I was a kid, my parents drove us cross-country, taking in all the sights and sounds and tastes, and whatever else we could. Youse guys could do that!"

There was silence in the room for a while. Then Jack spoke up. "You know what, Spitfire, youse just might be on to somethin'. I mean, between the nine of us" She cut him off.

"10! Hello! My idea, I get to go! Besides, I've got a minivan. I can hold either 7, or 5, if we take the middle seat out for more room."

Jack sighed in resignation. "OK, youse can come along. But you're doing a lot of the driving."

She cheered and started to jump up and down. "That's OK. Besides, I don't think I trust most o' youse behind the wheel of me car, anyways."

I rolled my eye.

"So, Blinky-boi, could youse please turn the music down? Or my roommates are gonna strangle me, 'cause they can't get through to youse, they seem to think it's impossible, for some reason."

"HMMM…I WONDER why!" Spot said sarcastically from the corner, looking very strange, a combination of pissed off and apathetic.

God, he's hot when he's pissed off.

OK, I know this was really short and crappy, but it'll get better, I promise. It always gets better in the end. Anyways, review please, but no flames! Flames are like finding out there are six weeks of band camp instead of three. Thanx!


	2. Rest Stops and Dashboard

Ch.2-Hittin' The Road 

****

**JACK **

So we decided to take a road trip. I can't believe I didn't think of this before.

Sometimes I hate Liz.

"So, Jackie-boi, when're we setting off?" she asked.

"I'm thinking…the day after classes end. Get in maximum travel time, ya know?"

"How 'bout right after classes end? I don't think any of us have a class after 12:00 on Friday, so why don't we have lunch and then take off?"

"GO WEST, YOUNG MAN!" Blink bellowed from the other side of the room.

"OK, no more Red Hot Chili Peppers, (or any loud rock music, for that matter) EVER again! It's makes you WAY too hyper!" Jack bellowed.

"I KNOW!!" Blink bellowed back. "AIN'T IT GREAT?!?!"

"NO!" we all yelled, and, to our amazement, he reached out and shut off the music.

"ANYWAYS, oh, sorry! Anyways, so, are we gonna take off on Friday? Is that OK with the rest o' youse?"

There came a chorus of "Sure, OK, whatever" from all over the room.

"OK! Well, shall we decide who's riding with whom?" asked Spot, showing the first iota of interest so far.

"OK. Do any o' youse care about where you ride?"

There was a general murmur of "No, not really, who gives a flying fuck?" from around the room.

"Ok, then, I'll take…Snitch, Skitts, Spot, Race, and Bumlets. And Jack can have the rest o' youse. I'll see y'all on Friday!" And she turned and left the room, her blonde hair swinging behind her.

FRIDAY

**SPITFIRE**

The day we set off, the sun was shining, but it was only about 45 degrees out. October in New York. Oh, freakin' joy. And Jack was holding us up immensely, we were trying to get out of the dorm, but he kept forgetting stuff.

Finally, I just got so fed up, I went up the stairs yelling, "Sometime TODAY, Jackie-boi!", and then physically dragged him out of the room.

"Whatever youse forgot, we can always get on the road somewhere," I said, dragging him by the collar. "You are majorly holding us up, and we're trying to get out of here before nightfall. Let's go, already!"

I loaded Snitch, Skitts, Spot, Race, and Bumlets into my car, and Jack corralled Itey, Pie Eater, and Blink into his little four-seater Taurus. I clicked on my walkie-talkie, and tested out the connection.

"Fireball calling Alfred Lord Tennyson." That, for some reason, was what Jack had chosen to call his car.

Yeah, I don't get it either.

"This is Lord Tennyson, Fireball. It works, OK? Over and out."

"Over and out."

"OK, girlies, let's get outta here!" I said, gunning the engine, flooring the gas, and we SHOT out of the parking lot. I try to be a careful driver, obeying the speed limit, checking my mirrors, looking over my shoulder, and all that, but when I get my friends in the car, Dashboard Confessional blaring, I kind of get the urge to go quite a bit faster than I normally would. But on the New York interstate, everyone goes faster than they normally would. So I'm not the ONLY idiot out there on the roads.

I popped in the 'Spiderman 2' soundtrack CD I'd gotten the day before yesterday, and Dashboard Confessional's 'Vindicated' came on.

"Oooh, I love this song!" Spot said gleefully, reaching over and turning it up. He'd called shotgun, so he'd appointed himself 'Supreme Ruler of the CD Changer and Supreme Volume Controller'.

Yeah, he's gay, and he's my cousin. Ain't life a kick?

"Spot! Just leave it somewhere, will youse?!" yelled Skitts from the backseat. "I'm gonna suffer from permanently changing volume, even when I'm not in a car with you. You are insane, youse know that, right?"

"Righty-O."

"Just checkin'. Just do we're clear."

"Skitts?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up! You're interfering with Dashboard!"

"Oh, heaven forbid!" I laughed, grinning over at Spot. "As we all know, Spot worships Dashboard Confessional as gods, am I right, Spot?"

"Righty-O."

I rolled my eyes. Spot is a bit of a dork, but he's my cousin, and I love him to bits. At least, most of the time I do.

**ITEY**

Oh. My. God. This car is so. Freakin'. BORING!! I just looked over at Liz's car, and everyone's laughing their heads off, and I felt a little pang in my heart. I've kinda been a loner all my life, and I've always wanted friends like that. I noticed that Blink had put Red Hot Chili Peppers in the CD player, but, in deference to Jack, he'd put it at about half volume, and it made some very nice background music. I reached for the walkie-talkie, and radioed Liz's car.

"Itey calling Fireball! Mayday! Mayday! Extreme boredom and hunger! Can we stop at a gas station sometime?"

"Hey Itey, hon" came Spot's voice. "Liz says we can stop at a gas station in about half an hour. Think you can hold on that long?"

"Sure" I said gratefully. "Half an hour's better than nothing."

"Oh, and by the way hon, I LOVE those piercings you got recently. Very sexy. Were they for…you know who?"

I blushed. I kinda have a thing for Pie Eater. Problem is…I haven't told him yet, and I need to, or I'm gonna go insane!

"Kinda" I said. "I also felt I needed a change."

"Uh-huh" said Spot, like he knew something I didn't.

"Spot. Just shut up."

"Yeesh. Cranky much?" asked Spot jokingly.

"Shut up, fruit. And tell Liz that's a good Dashboard song."

Spot laughed, and relayed the message. "She says she knows. That's why she bought the CD in the first place, for all the good songs on it. Listen, she's yelling at me to save the batteries, so we'll see ya in 20 minutes. We'll call somebody's phone, and coordinate a place to stop. See ya, Itey. Over and out."

"Thanks, Spot. Over and out."

"What's up, Itey?" asked Jack, after I'd shut off the walkie-talkie and put it back.

"She says one of 'em will call one of us, and we'll stop somewhere, get out, stretch, use the bathroom, and all that jazz. Sound good?"

"Will there be a music store where we stop? We've been listening to 'By The Way' for the last hundred miles!" Pie Eater complained. "Can we PLEASE listen to something else now?"

"Yeah, Blink? No more Red Hot Chili Peppers for awhile, OK?"

"O…K" said Blink, very reluctantly

He removed 'By The Way' from the stereo, and put it in its' case. "Well then, if not the Peppers, then…what?"

"Dashboard Confessional" said Pie Eater at once. "I believe Itey brought their CD along, didn't ya, Itey?" He grinned at me, and gave me a very tiny wink.

My heart skipped a couple of beats. "Yeah," I said, when I was breathing normally again. "Yeah, I did. Here it is." And I pulled the case out of my bag and handed it to Blink.

"Ooh, they have 'Vindicated' on here" he said, perking up slightly. "Maybe this ain't so bad after all."

"See? You get weaned off RHCP, and you are much better off" said Jack, smiling slightly.

Blink pouted, rather cutely I must say, and stuck Dashboard in the stereo. The first notes of 'Vindicated' came blaring through the speakers, and Pie immediately launched into air guitar. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Who're you supposed to be, Pie? Jimi Hendirx?"

He gave me a mock-serious glare. "Yes," he said with dignity. "And I'm gonna be famous someday. I'll be a big star."

_"Well, she's a big star at Banana Joe's bar_

_Where she sings karaoke every night!" _I sang, off-key, I'm sure, but the song fit the occasion.

Jack looked back at me. "Sing the song on the stereo, or don't sing at all" he said, sounding just like my mother.

"_VINDICATED! I AM SELFISH, I AM WRONG! I AM WRONG, I SWEAR I'M RIGHT!"_ I sang, in a half-assed effort to pacify him.

He shook his head in mock-dismay. Then my cell phone rang.

"Insanity Express, Itey speaking" I said into the receiver.

"Hey hon" came Spot's voice. "Liz says there's a gas station 10 miles ahead, we'll stop there. It's two exits after the one we just passed. Sound good?"

"Sure," I said. "I definitely need a potty break. And somethin' to eat. Does Liz know where we're stopping for the night?"

"Hey, give me that!" Jack said. "She never told me where we were stopping, to tell you the truth."

I handed him the phone, and he took it eagerly. "Hey Spot, put Liz on will youse?…Thanks." Liz came on a second later. "Hey, Lizzy. Where exactly are we stopping for the night?…Pennsylvania? Did you book a hotel room or two?…Good. OK. Yeah, that's fine. OK, see ya in 10 minutes. OK, bye." He handed me back the phone. "Spot wants to talk to youse for a second."

"Hey Spotty" I said. "What's up?"

"Itey, I want you to do somethin' for me. I want you to…" He lowered his voice. "By the end of this trip, I want you to hook up with Pie Eater, 'K?"

I gasped. "How'd you know?" I asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Hon, it's only one of the most obvious thing is the world. Anyways, you as good as admitted it 20 minutes ago via walkie-talkies. Work on it, OK?"

"OK" I said cautiously. "I'll most definitely work on it."

"Good" said Spot, sounding pleased. "See ya."

"See ya."

I cut the connection, and looked up. No one seemed to have heard, or cared about what he was saying. I breathed a silent sigh of relief. Good.

"Look!" said Blink, bouncing up and down in his seat. "There's the exit! Can I get some snacks, Jackie-boi?"

"It's your money, Blinky-boi," he said, shooting him an amused glance. "Spend it however you want, I really don't care."

Blink perked up significantly. I think the prospect of caffeine and processed cheese excited him.

**SPOT**

Ha ha ha. I love playing matchmaker. I also love doing my nails, but that's not the point. If I can get Itey and Pie Eater together, then this trip'll be worthwhile. Hee hee hee. I'm so bad. _BAD TO THE BONE! WAA WAA WAA! BAD TO THE BONE!! _OK, not really, but you get my point, right? Get it? Got it? Good.

"So, Spotty, you're one to be giving relationship advice, when you're not in one yourself," said Liz seriously. The CD had moved on to Maroon 5's 'Woman'. "So I'm gonna give you some: Before this trip is over, I want you to hook up with Blink. It is obvious you have a thing for him. And vice-versa. It's kind of like your gayness: You exude an aura, and the same thing when you're around Blink. You perk up more, you sit up straighter, you fidget with your hair. Kind of like me, when I'm around Dutchy, ya know?"

I blushed. "Yeah. But…how'd you know?"

"Like I said before, it's extremely obvious. That, and the fact you talk in your sleep."

I blushed hotly. "I do NOT!" I said vehemently.

"You do too. You dozed off a couple of days ago while I was in your room, studying, and you started talking. You didn't actually from coherent sentences, but I heard stuff like, 'Blink…Mmmm…that feels good…little lower'. You know"-She grinned wickedly-"Stuff like that."

I felt my face get hot again. I never knew I talked in my sleep. Mental note to self: Never go to sleep with Liz in the room again. She'll find out about stuff that's supposed to stay firmly locked in my mind, and then she'll blackmail me with it. She did it in high school, so why should college be any different?

It won't be.

"Just promise me you'll never mention this to anyone else," I said, looking over at her warily. I'm sure my voice cracked from embarrassment, but I didn't care.

"Aw, you're secrets safe with me, Spotty. What are cousins for?" she asked, punching me on the arm lightly.

"Liz. LIZ! THERE'S A CAR COMING!!" Snitch yelled from the backseat. She kind of jumped at his voice. I guess she assumed they had been making out in the backseat the whole time.

"SNITCH! NO YELLING AT THE DRIVER!" Bumlets yelled.

"HOW 'BOUT NO YELLING, PERIOD?!" Liz shouted at the whole car.

"OK!"

"There's our exit, oh wonderful driver cousin of mine," I said sarcastically. "We don't wanna miss it, Itey might die from hunger, and then where would we be?"

She laughed, put on her turn signal, and then pulled over to the exit.

This rest stop was long overdue.

**SHOUTOUTS:**

**Trolley: **I LOVE the Red Hot Chili Peppers. And I agree, they do rock hard. LOL, thanx for the review!

**Coin: **I can't wait to write what happens on the road trip. Plenty of slashy goodness, I promise. Gotta love it. Love ya, thanx for reviewing!

**Erin Go Braugh:** Yes, this will most definitely turn out funny. But good? We'll see. 'Eh, who knows?' as my friend Lindsey says. Thanx for the review!

**Authors Note:** Don't own any of the really good Dashboard songs mentioned here, or any others on the 'Spiderman 2' Soundtrack. Actually, I own nothing! (cries) Toodles, I love you ALL!!


	3. Hard Lemonade And Hot Blood

Ch.3-Hittin' The Road

** SKITTERY**

"OK, Snitch, now, no living up to your nickname while we're in here, OK, babe? Please?" she said, looking at him seriously.

"All right, although I can't believe you guys won't believe me when I say I've stopped stealing" said Snitch, pouting.

God, he's cute when he pouts. One of the many reasons I love 'im.

Anyways, I was glad for the stop, at any rate. I mean, I love kissing Snitch, but you can only make out for so long. So I'd been listening to music, and he'd been scribbling in a notebook for the past 45 minutes. When I asked him what he was writing, he blushed and said, "Nothing." I didn't believe him, but that's OK, I mean, what you write is private, right? (Awww…sorry, really bad pun…I'll stop) Like a journal, or whatever.

Once we got inside, I realized just how long I'd been sitting, guzzling my Mountain Dew, and made a mad dash for the bathroom, but Spot beat me to it.

I banged on the door and yelled, "Hurry it up, Conlon! I really gotta fucking go!"

"Eh, screw you!" came the response.

"No thanks!" I yelled back, grinning. "Not from you, at any rate."

I could almost sense him giving me the finger through the door. And I couldn't help but grin.

At last he came out, looking better than when he came in, I noticed. He must've put on some mascara, or something.

I rolled my eyes. Spot was so flaming GAY it was hysterical. And at other times, supremely annoying. Like right now, when he was hogging the bathroom, and I REALLY had to go.

I relieved myself, then washed my hands and went to go find some extremely fattening snack that, amazingly, I can still eat, and never seem to gain an ounce. HUZZAH!

"Huzzah!" I said softly, picking out a full-size bag of nacho cheese Doritos. I wasn't gonna eat the whole bag, I was gonna share with my car. Yeesh. Then I went and found a liter bottle of Pepsi.

"Skitts, if you drink that whole thing, we're gonna end up stopping within an hour" drawled Liz's voice, from where she was trying to restrain Itey and Blink from grabbing one of everything.

"BLINK! ITEY! Just pick something!" she exclaimed, sounding very exasperated.

I chuckled softly. Thank God we didn't have either of them in our car, they were both riding with Jack. Heh heh heh. I wouldn't like to be him after they've both drunk their two bottles of pop each.

"Hey, babe" said Snitch softly in my ear, running his hand over my ass.

"Snitch!" I whispered, looking around to see if anyone was watching. When I figured out they weren't, I leaned in and kissed him. Hard. Because I hadn't had a taste of him for over an hour.

"A-HEM!" came a voice, and we jumped apart quickly. I noticed with amusement that Snitch had turned bright red.

"Ummm…hey, Itey!" he said, overcompensating. "Are we in your way?"

Itey grinned slightly, reaching into the case for another bottle. "Not really. Although, I'd stop doing that in public anymore if I were you, the attendant was gaping at you."

Snitch turned an even brighter red.

Itey chuckled. "But I heard him telling Jack that you two must really love each other, that's why you weren't able to keep your hands off each other. So it's OK. But if you want me to go pay for your stuff, I will. In case you don't wanna face him."

Snitch nodded, and handed Itey two bottles of Diet Pepsi, a pack of bubble gum, three sticks of beef jerky and a fiver. I, however, am known for not caring what others think, so I headed up to the counter with Itey.

"Ya know, you two belong in that Christina Aguilera video, 'Beautiful'. You know, where the two guys are making out on a bench, and she's saying how you should accept people, now matter how they look or act," said Itey, grinning at me again.

"_I AM BEAUTIFUL, IN EVERY SINGLE WAY, YES WORDS WON'T BRING ME DOWN! WE ARE BEAUTIFUL, NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY, YES WORDS WON'T BRING US DOWN, NO OH OH!" _sang Liz and Spot.

"So don't you bring me down…oh oh, today" finished Blink.

"You know, you guys are complete numbskulls," I said, trying, and failing miserably, not to laugh.

"Yeah, we know," said Pie, who'd been lurking unseen (he's rather short) behind Liz (who's three inches shy of 6 feet). Liz jumped about a foot in the air, and whirled around.

"Gah, Pie! WARN me before you sneak up on me like that! Jeez, you just about gave me a heart attack!"

Pie grinned. "I was actually looking for Itey. They've got his favorite Little Debbie snacks here, and I was wondering if he wanted some."

"Oooh, Oatmeal Crème Pies!" said Itey, making a mad dash for the cupcakes and sweets aisle.

I rolled my eyes. "Can we please just pay and go? I, personally, don't wanna be pulling into wherever we're stopping at 2 a.m."

Everyone else agreed, and we all headed up to the counter to pay.

**BUMLETS **

So, after we gave a chunk of our money to corporate America, and doing our part to clog up our arteries some more, we all piled back into our respective cars, and headed down the interstate. I was riding with Liz, which wasn't so bad, since we didn't have Blink and Itey. I'd looked over at their car, and they were having a contest of who could chug the most pop, and then burp the loudest. Or so Pie told me over the walkie-talkie.

"It's seriously disgusting" he whined. "And they just won't STOP!!"

I laughed. "Now, don't you wish you were riding in this car?" I teased.

"YES!"

"Well, too bad" I laughed. "You're stuck there, at least until tomorrow. By then, maybe I'll be feeling nice, and I'll switch with ya."

The sounds of fake sobbing could be heard over the walkie-talkie.

"Oh, thank you, good, kind sir!" he said, sobbing hysterically. Then, in a more normal tone or voice, he said, "You have no idea how loud those two can burp!" he said, in a mixture of disgust and awe. "I swear, Itey's last one was at least a 6 on the Richter scale."

I laughed again. "Dude, since when are you a burpologist?"

"I'm not, dude. But I did have to take a class last semester about earthquakes. So trust me, I know all about the Richter scale."

"_Mariposa._ Dude, we've got to get you a boyfriend, or something. Keep you occupied. I hear Itey is single…" I trailed off laughing, but stopped mid-chuckle when I realized he wasn't sharing my laughter.

"Talk to ya later, Bumlets" he said, and clicked off the walkie-talkie.

"What was that all about?" I asked aloud. The only response I got was the strains of 'Take Me Or Leave Me' from RENT. Then Spot turned around.

"God, are all straight guys this dense?" he asked, rolling his shadowed eyes. "Pie and Itey have a thing for each other, dumbass, they just won't admit it, especially not to one another. God, everyone's noticed it but you. You are SO dense. The only thing you've got going for you is that you're pretty damn sexy."

I blushed. "Spot. I thought we agreed that you were gonna stop making comments like that. Go find yourself a nice _mariposa,_ but I ain't interested."

"What's _mariposa_ mean?" he asked curiously.

"It's Spanish for 'butterfly', and it's used as a derogatory term for gay people. _Por ejemplo: tu. Tu es muy feminita, y muy elegente. _Liz?"

_"Oh,_ _claro que si. Spot es muy feminita, pero no elegente. El es muy bajo y comico."_

_"Oh, claro que si."_

Spot, during this whole exchange, had looking back and forth at us, like a spectator at a tennis match. "OK, what the hell did you two just say, and what the hell did it mean?!" he demanded.

Liz chuckled. "I'm gonna let you field this one, Bumlets. You started it."

I pouted, then chuckled. "All right. But I'm suing you if your cousin breaks one of my bones. I said, 'For example: you. You are very feminine, and very elegant. Liz said, 'Of course! Spot is very feminine, but not elegant. He's very short and funny'."

I laughed at the look on Spot's face. Snitch and Skitts were howling in the backseat, and Liz was determinedly looking at the road. But not even that could conceal the ever-growing grin on her face. Spot was looking at all of us like we were nuts.

"OK! New car rule: If you insult someone in another language, tell them what it means afterwards. It's only polite" said Liz, in a pitiful peacemaking attempt.

_"Prendere l'inferno lontano da me!"_ said Race from the back seat. Everyone turned to look at him.

He looked right back. "It means 'Get the hell away from me!'. We were on the subject of insults…Never mind."

I was kind of surprised. This was pretty much the first time all trip that Race had spoken. And, to tell you the truth, I'd kind of forgotten that he was there.

"Um, Race? How're you doing back there?" asked Liz. She looked at him kind of guiltily, and I think she'd also forgotten that he was there.

"I'm pretty good," he said, sounding faintly amused. "Why? Did y'all forget about me?"

"Kind of, actually. You've just been so damn quiet. Something wrong?"

"No…nothing you could help with anyway." And with that, he clammed up, and wouldn't say anything about it.

**3 HOURS LATER**

**RACETRACK**

I know they mean well, but I just can't tell them. I can't tell them that…God, I can't even say it to myself. How on EARTH could I say it to them?

Answer: I couldn't.

So I just kept my little secret to myself, and tried to enjoy the remaining 100 miles to Allentown, Pennsylvania, where we were stopping for the night. It wasn't too hard, I mean, Liz has a HUGE CD collection, and every hundred miles or so, Spot would change the CD, if it hadn't played out already. So, against the wishes of everyone else, he'd put in Christina Aguilera, and was now singing along to 'Makeover'.

"_I JUST WANNA GET AWAY, SAVIN' ALL YOUR BULLSHIT FOR ANOTHER DAY!!"_ he was singing, in an off-key voice.

"OK, Spot, switch it to number 14, I really don't like this song," said Liz, after about two minutes of Spot's yowling.

Spot made a face, but did as she asked. "So, what, are you gonna sing along?" he asked, as the opening notes of 'Soar' came through the speakers.

"DUH! _When they push, when they pull, tell me can you hold on? When they say you should change, can you lift your head high, and stay strong? Will you give up, give in, When your heart's cryin' out that it's wrong? Will you love you for you at the end pf it all?_ Sing with me, Bumlets!"

Bumlets joined in eagerly. _"NOW IN LIFE, THERE'S GONNA BE TIMES, WHEN YOU'RE FEELIN' LOW! AND IN YOUR MIND, INSECURITIES SEEM TO TAKE CONTROL! WE START TO LOOK OUTSIDE OURSELVES, FOR ACCEPTANCE AND APPROVAL! WE KEEP FORGETTING, THAT THE ONE THING WE SHOULD KNOW IS-"_

"WHEN TO SHUT UP!!" I yelled. I had a headache, and they were getting kind of annoying.

"Geez, Race, SOR-REE! What's with you, anyways? Ever since that rest stop you've been, kind of, well, I don't know, extra-cranky, if that's possible."

I flipped her the bird in the review mirror. "Oh, fuck off!" I said, a little more vehemently then I'd meant to. "You guys have NO idea what I'm going through right now."

Liz rolled her eyes. Then, something seemed to snap in them. She pulled the car over to the shoulder, and shut it off. Then she got out, came around to the side, opened my door, and said in an imperious voice, sounding exactly like my mother, "Out. Now."

I was to startled to do anything but obey. I unbuckled, and crawled out of the car. I followed her to the grass alongside the interstate, folded my arms, and asked, "What?" in a real smart-ass voice.

"I don't know what the FUCK is up with you, Racetrack Higgins, but whatever the beef is you have with the world, grill it up and eat it!" she said, sounding just like Denzel Washington in _Remember The Titans_.

I just looked at her. She's not known for getting angry, but she's just enough Irish, so that when she does, you do NOT want to be subjected to the outpouring of her wrath. It's NOT fun, trust me.

"Why the hell do you care?" I asked, not looking her in the eyes, because I'm sure they were glaring daggers at me.

"Look, Race," she said, her voice softening. "I care, because you're one of my best friends, and if you're unhappy, I wanna know why, and if I can fix it." She gave me a grin. "Just…don't bottle it all up inside, OK? No more outbursts like that, for the sake of our sanity." Then, she looked at something over my shoulder. "They're all watching us," she whispered. Then she yelled, "OK! BACK INSIDE!! SHOW'S OVER!!" I crawled back inside the car, and we took off again.

"So, Race, what was that all about?" whispered Snitch, crawling down to sit beside me on the floor,(Liz had taken the middle seat out) and looking at me quizzically.

"Nothing" I said softly. "Just…nothing. It's OK, Snitch, I'm not suicidal, or anything," I said, attempting to smile. "But, I'd rather not talk about now, OK? Maybe later."

Snitch looked at me for a second, then nodded, and gave me a hug. And that embrace was enough to reassure me, that I had friends who cared about me, and who were looking out for me.

And that felt really good.

**PIE EATER**

When we saw the other car stop, we debated briefly whether or not to stop, but decided they had it under control. Besides, Liz and Race both looked really pissed. So we just kept driving. Besides, they looked like they needed to hash this out without Blink trying to be the diplomat, and Jack trying to make everyone "feel better". That usually just ended up in disaster.

"Hey, Jack," I said, yawning, "Exactly how far is it to Allentown? 'Cause we just passed a sign, but I couldn't see what it said."

"About another half-hour. Then we'll stop, get checked in, eat, watch some T.V., crash, etc. Sound good?"

I stretched out my arms as best I could in the tiny car. "Sure does. Damn, this car seems to be getting smaller by the mile!"

"Hey!" exclaimed Jack indignantly. "This is a good car, and please, no insulting it, or I'll make ya ride with Mr. And Ms. Hot-Blooded."

That shut me up pretty quick.

A half an hour later, as promised, we pulled into Allentown, Pennsylvania, and checked into two five-person rooms at the Holiday Inn Express, with a door in the middle, so we could come and go as we liked.

"Are you a doctor?" I asked Blink, grinning.

"No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night."

The room around us exploded into laughter. We'd gotten some hard lemonade (Jack is 21, he's the oldest), and we were laughing it up, all of us in one room. And all of us slightly tipsy.

It's a mother's worst nightmare. Spot was dozing, mumbling something incoherently, and Liz was saying, "I should be recording this. See?! He does talk in his sleep!"

Snitch and Skitts had gotten totally plastered, and were making out on one of the couches. No big surprise there, huh?

I looked around the room, surveying my friends. Apparently, Snitch and Skitts can't hold their liquor, and neither can Spot, but Jack, Liz, and Race didn't seem affected. They were carrying on a conversation, without showing any signs of being intoxicated.

I shook my head. "Hey, guys? It's almost midnight. Shouldn't we go to bed? Especially you, Jack, and you, Liz. You guys need to sleep off the alcohol, so you can drive tomorrow."

"What are you, Pie, my mother?" asked Liz, in an attempt at sarcasm, but she agreed, as did Jack. So we all trooped off to bed: Jack, Blink, Spot, Race, and Liz in one room, and Itey, Bumlets, Snitch, me, and Skitts in the other.

It'd be interesting to see how the night turned out.

A/N: WOO-HOO!! It's DONE!! YEAH!! It took me ALL DAY to finish this, but I kept getting up, and I went shopping for a couple hours, so I guess that explains it, don't it? Anyways, on to shoutouts!

Second Author's Note: I'd like to set a challenge before you, my dear reviewers. I'm trying to decide whether to pair Race with Jack and Bumlets. Put in your review who you think he should go with, I'd like some input. Thanx! NOW, on to shoutouts!

**SHOUTOUTS:**

**Coin:** While we're on the subject of toasting things (starts singing) "To hand-crafted beers made in local breweries, To yoga, to yoga, to rice and beans and cheese! To leather, to dildos, to blahde-blahde loo! To _juevos rancheros_ and Maya Angelou!" Sorry, I've kind of got a RENT fixation as of late, and I LOVE that song (which is 'La Vie Boheme', if you didn't recognize it.)! Love ya, thanx for the review!

**Erin Go Braugh: **Yeah!! Another update, oh so full of slashy goodness! WOO-HOO!! Never fear, it shall get more and more random and intriguing as it marches forward.

**Trolley: **Yeah! A RHCP fan! They're becoming hard to come by, I only know of a couple on ff.net, but that's OK, right? Right! Love ya!

Where will they stop next? Hmmm…I wonder…We'll see! Toodles! Please review!


	4. Chinese Drinking Game

Hittin' The Road Ch.4

"The hottest corners of hell are reserved for those who, in times of crisis, maintained their neutrality." Dante's _"Divine Comedy"_

Disclaimer: I own my muses, but Disney owns the original Newsies(tear), but I WILL own one someday. (Starts singing "Someday my prince will come and he'll be dressed as a Brooklyn newsie…")

Anyways…

A/N: I was reading my stuff recently, and I realized I've become a bit egocentric of late.

**Dutchy!muse:** Well, I could've told you that.

**Me:** (Punches him) Be quiet! Anyways, the point is, I'm taking myself out of the story…somehow. I don't like it, but neither do I want to be labeled braggy and/or a Mary Sue. (shudders) Anywho…

**EvilSpot!muse:** You don't have the slightest idea where you left off in the plot, do you?

**Me:** Yes!

(long pause)

OK, no.

**All!muses:** (laugh and point wickedly)

**Dutchy!muse:** Liz, we still love ya, but you have to remember to back up your work!

**Me:** (punches Dutchy!muse) Anyways…enjoy the chapter, shoutouts at the end for anyone who has cared to review in the past. And without further ado…(mellophones blare) **THE CHAPTER!**

**Blink!muse:** Mellophones?!

**Me:** Shut up.

**SNITCH**

I woke up to the sounds of the clock radio on my bedside table. Some idiot (probably Itey) had found a pop station and set the alarm for-did that really say 6:30? A.M.?!

I hate him.

I rolled over to see who was occupying the other half of the queen-sized bed with me (I don't remember much of last night, I had a lot to drink), and was pleased to discover my arm was draped over Skittery's stomach. Someone must've stuck us in the same bed after I'd passed out because I'd drunk two hard lemonades. Yeah, I can't really hold my alcohol all that well, but who really cares? It's not like I'm playing a Chinese drinking game, like Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson did in _Shanghai Noon_. God, I love that movie…

Ahem. But I digress.

I tried to poke Skitts awake, but he swatted my hand away.

"Skitts? Come on, babe. We gotta get up. We wanna be outta here by 9:00, remember?"  
He mumbled something that sounded like, "Pink elephants are funny."

I laughed. Mix one part alcohol, one part Skitt's weird brain, and one part cartoons he's always watching, and I expected nothing less than a sleepy mumbled comment about pink elephants.

I rolled out of bed, and went next door to go see if I could bum a couple bucks off someone for breakfast. We'd exchanged room keys so we could all get in each other's rooms if we needed to, and when I opened the door, I was greeted by the sound of someone vomiting.

Liz was hunched over the toilet, with Bumlets holding her hair back.

"She doesn't feel that great" he said to me in a side voice.

"No shit, Sherlock."

"Must've been something she ate. She never has a reaction like this to alcohol. The flu was going around campus when we left…she probably caught it and didn't realize it."

"Hey, Spits" I said, leaning around Bumlets to address her. "Did you know it can take up to three days for flu symptoms to appear?"

"Yes, dumbass, I knew that. I'm pre-med, remember?"

"Oh. Yeah. I knew that."

I could almost sense her eye roll.

"I feel like shit" she said, reaching for a tissue to wipe her mouth off. "I'm gonna fly home as soon as I can."

That wasn't what I'd expected to hear coming out of her mouth. "Why?!"

"'Cause I feel like crap, smart guy, and I don't wanna drive cross-country with a bunch of guys who are constantly acting like assholes. Bumlets can drive my car."

"ME?!" Bumlets almost shouted, looking rather scared.

"Hell yes, you! You're the only one I trust with my car. Race has road rage. Skitts would insist Snitch sit in the front seat, and vice versa, and they'd never stop making out, or trying to make out. Spot…Spot is an anomaly, so we aren't even gonna go there. So…you're the only on left. Oh, come on, don't look at me that way. You can handle it!"

Bumlets didn't look so sure. But he took the keys she dropped into his outstretched hand nonetheless.

"Aw, c'mon, Bumlets, it's not a death sentence" said Race, coming up behind him. "Besides, you're a good driver. We're in very capable hands, right, Liz?"

She only had time to nod before she ran for the toilet again.

**JACK**

So with Spitfire worshipping the porcelain god that made nine of us going on to the next stop.

I feel like I'm in a _Survivor_ episode. Who's next…?

But that's not the point. We drove her to the airport, and, of course, we all went inside and went with her to the ticket counter. The next flight to New York City left at 11:00 that morning. We offered to stay with her, but she shook her head.

"You guys go on. If you're gonna get anywhere, you need to leave soon. Let's have breakfast, then you guys need to get going."

So we found a McDonalds, ate together, she gave us all hugs(with her mouth covered, natch), and then we piled into our cars. She stood waving good-bye until we couldn't see her anymore.

"Hey, Bumlets, you gonna be OK driving the minivan that screams 'I belong to a chick'?" asked Spot, with an evil grin on his face. This earned him a punch in the arm.

Bumlets can be touchy. But…that's what makes him fun!

So we pulled out of Allentown, and got back onto the interstate. Now, when we left the airport, we almost got into fistfights over who was gonna be in what car. Eventually, we worked it all out, and I ended up with Spot (yippee), Blink (eh…), and Itey (oy vay!). At least I didn't have Race. Phew! Riding with him in a car is basically asking for a not fun ride, 'cause he won't like the song, or you're driving to slow, or everyone else on the highway is wrong…blah blah blah.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! He's Bumlets' problem now.

I will spare you the boring details of the first five hours, except to say that Itey went crazy around hour two from lack of movement, and fell asleep around hour three. Race and Blink did nothing but talk about nothing.

For five hours.

'L' is for the way you look at me, 'O' is for the only one I see…

Ahem. But I'm usually right about this kind of thing.

We'll see, won't we?

**BLINK**

I won't lie to you. I HATE long car rides, especially in little cars. Like Jack's hunk of junk whatever-it-is. But Spot was there, so I guess I can deal with it.

God, he's hot. Drool.

"Jaaaaaaaaack!" I whined. "I'm hungry, cramped, and I gotta take a leak. Can we please stop soon?!"

"Soon" Jack said, not taking his eyes off the road.

Damn unflappable Irishmen.

"So, Spotty, shall we listen to Ashlee Simpson, or U2?"

"Ooh ooh ooh, Ashlee Simpson!" he crowed, passing the disk to Itey, who was sitting in front. A minute later, 'Autobiography' started blaring through the speakers.

And, of course, Spot started to sing along. Extremely off-key, I might add.

"If you want my auto, want my autobiography! Baby, just ask me!" he warbled, stretching his arms out toward me.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You do realize that you look like an idiot, right?"

He gave me his trademark cocky half-smile. "Yes. But do I care? No. Ashlee rocks my socks, and you can say what you like, but I don't care. Besides"-He smirked again-"I get to exercise my drama queen-ness to her CD."

"So it's all good."

"Exactly."

And we lapsed into a comfortable silence. For about 20 minutes.

"JACK! JACK! JACK!" Itey had awoken from his nap.

"Yes, Itey?" said Jack, far more patiently than I would have.

"Can we stop? I gotta pee."

Jack rolled his eyes, but, 10 minutes later, pulled into a rest stop. It was one of those fancier ones, with five different restaurants, a gift shop, and a newsstand inside. We all piled out, stretching out stiff legs and cramped muscles as we did so.

"Better, Itey?" Jack asked a half hour later, when we were on the road once again.

"Much" said Itey happily. He was stuffing his face with Cheetos and Pepsi. He looked content, much like a pig in mud.

"He's gonna have such a bad breakout later" Spot muttered out of the corner of his mouth, causing me to giggle, and then quickly clap my hand over my mouth.

God, this trip is gonna be interesting.

**BUMLETS**

I hate driving enough as is. I hate it more when I'm driving a car filled with teenage boys who are high on sugar and caffeine, and are bound and determined to make as much noise as possible.

"RACE!" I yelled. "RACE! SHUT THE HELL UP! I'M GETTING SICK TO DEATH OF YOU AND PIE ARGUING! IF EITHER OF YOU TALKS IN THE NEXT 20 MINUTES, I'M STRAPPING THAT INDIVIDUAL TO THE HOOD!"

They didn't look like they believed me, but they shut up for the next hour. Wow. I didn't think it'd work that well. But hey, I'm not complaining.

I don't yell a lot, so when I do, whatever I'm yelling about is really irking me.

"Hey Bumlets" said Pie.

"Yeah?"

"Can we put on that CD of our show songs from junior year?"

"You mean 'West Side Story'?" I replied.

"Yeah yeah yeah! Can we? Pwease?" I could see him pooching out his lower lip in the review mirror.

"You're so gay, Pie" said Race with a smirk. "What straight man likes 'West Side Story'?"

"Jack."

"Jack is an anomaly."

'What is up with people and that word lately?' I thought.

But we ended up putting in the CD anyways. Our school's marching band show our junior year had been 'Music from West Side Story', and we'd ended up burning CD's so we could re-live the madness. The songs we did were 'Maria', 'Cool', 'America', 'Somewhere', and 'Tonight'. Although I don't know if you can count 'Somewhere', 'cause it was only 30 seconds long, and it was basically a glorified color guard solo.

MARIA!" belted Snitch and Race. "I JUST MET A GIRL NAMED MARIA! AND SUDDENLY THAT NAME, WILL NEVER BE THE SAME TO ME!"

Then they didn't sing for a whole verse, and you can probably guess why. The next verse is about kissing a girl named Maria.

Which probably wouldn't happen, since they're both gay.

"Maria! I'll never stop saying…Maria!" they finished dramatically, arranging themselves in dramatic poses on the floor of the car.

"Get up, you guys, and put seatbelts on!" I said, reaching behind to poke them. "The last thing I want is to get stopped by highway patrol."

They grumbled cheerfully, but got back up and buckled themselves in.

I shall spare you all the boring details of our next four hours of driving, and I'll try to sum it up for you:

Pure, unparalleled, hell.

We had to stop five times for bathroom breaks and food, twice for gas, three times for a toll booth, and once because Race swore, up and down, that he saw Mary in the wildflowers growing by the side of the highway.

When, in reality, it was actually two rabbits mating.

He must be blind, or summat.

And I swear, pulling into Gary, Indiana ranked up there in joyful events in my life with getting laid for the first time. I was that desperate to get out of that car.

Oy-freakin'-vay.

We checked into our Best Western, and, once again, proceeded to get ourselves good and drunk. Only, this time, we made it a bit more interesting.

We played a Chinese drinking game.

Now, that was interesting.

We had to shout this song in Chinese, the words of which none of us knew, and the person who finished last had to drink a shot of something. This time it was vodka. Snitch gets drunk fast, as does Blink, and they quickly lost.

But Jack and I were really going at it. We were tied, 5-5, and it only ended when we both agreed that if we drank any more, we'd probably pass out and never wake up.

So we went to sleep that night, very drunk, very tired, and having traveled over 300 miles.

I felt very proud of myself. I still had my sanity.

Well, a shred of it, anyway.

**END CHAPTER**

Gah, this was fun to write. I was having too much fun with the singing and the drinking and the whining, and I just never wanted it to end. But I had to find a stopping point eventually. So, I just finished up this chappie here. Anyways, on to shoutouts:

**SHOUTOUTS:**

**SATURDAY: **You never informed me about the song about Spot in a garden. And I was so looking forward to it. (pouts) Just kidding. Anyways, I read your fic you co-authored with Dakki. _Muy interesante._ Another word would be _loco. Muy loco._ But that's beside the point. Anyways…love ya, thanx for reviewing!

**Erin Go Braugh: **More marching band! LOL! Just for you! Enough exclamation points! Seriously, though, I'll stop now. Anyways…did you like? I hope so. Leave a review and I'll love you forever! (P.S. Is it just me, or am I the only one who thinks that _Shanghai Noon _was better than _Shanghai Knights_? I dunno. But the second one kinda fell flat compared to the first. Eh.)

**Coin:** Yes, RENT is totally awesome,and it's coming to Lincoln in October! YES!!!!! (does a strange happy dance) Anyways, since it seems all my reviewers are clamoring for Race/Bumlets, that's probably where it will go. Anywho, love ya, thanx for the review!

**Mydracomalfoy: **Yes, your Spanish is terrible. But we love you anyways, 'cause you left a REVIEW! ::gives coffeecake:: Anyways, much hugging and slashy goodness will ensue, and, as you requested, I am UPDATING! Love ya, bye!

**  
  
**


	5. Half Naked Hispanic Hottie

A/N: I LOVE Thursdays, 'cause that's the day everyone in my house either has something to go to, or works late, or something. That way, I can get a lot of writing/typing done, and there's no one disturbing me! WOO-HOO! Yeah…so…is it just me, or do headaches seem to intensify when you consume caffeine? OK, now I'm just babbling. I LOVE LES MIS! On with the chapter!

**JACK**

When I woke up the next morning, I won't lie to you: I had one hell of a hangover. But that's why God invented Advil, right? Right. After popping about four of those little things, I started to feel a little bit better. Of course, the huge breakfast and five cups of coffee I consumed might have had something to do with it.

Yeah, that might've been it.

Anyways, after breakfast, we drove into downtown Gary because Spot wanted a picture of all of us next to some famous building he'd read about. I didn't know what it was, but we humored him anyway. If only to get him to shut up.

"All right, bitches!" Spot yelled, prancing (yes, prancing) about the room. "We're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz!"

I just sort of stared at him. "Spot. Is it possible for you to get any weirder?"

"Yes. Don't tempt me. Being this weird this early in the morning when I'm this hung over is not a good thing."

"Ooooook…whatever" I said, gathering up the last of my stuff. "Where are we headed today, O Mighty Keeper of the Sacred Roadmaps?" I asked Snitch, who had insisted we call him that.

He rolled his eyes and fished the map out of his bag. "Ummm…some town called Lincoln. It's in Nebraska. About 500 miles from here, so we should make pretty good time."

I nodded, doing some mental math. "So we should stop around 12:30 for lunch. Also, I'm not taking Itey in my car today. Someone else gets the menace to society."

"HEY!" said Itey indignantly, as everyone else laughed.

"I'll take him" said Bumlets. "And you can have Race."

"What a trade-off" I said, laughing.

Race just glared at all of us, stuck his head out the window, and lit another cigarette.

"Race. PLEASE don't smoke in Liz's car, WHATEVER you do. It's not my car; I don't wanna have to pay to get it fumigated!" Bumlets snapped at Race. Race just glared at him, but after a minute or so, crushed out his cigarette on the ground.

"Thanks" muttered Bumlets.

"You're not welcome" he muttered back.

They're so totally flirting with each other. Heh heh heh…

"Come on, bitches!" Spot said again. We all shot him a death glare, which he ignored.

So we all piled into our respective cars, and pulled out of Gary, bound for Nebraska.

**3 HOURS LATER**

I swear, I'm gonna go insane before this trip is over.

No, I'm serious. Itey will NOT shut up about this new CD he got, Flogging Molly, I think was the band, and he's going, "JACK! JACK! JACK! CAN WE PLAY IT?! PLEASE?"

I finally said "Yes" just to shut him up.

It actually turned out to not be all that bad. They mixed punk rock music with Irish balladry, and it was actually quite a nice way to spend 70 minutes. But when we pulled into the first rest stop of the morning, even he agreed it was time to take the disc out.

"Awesome band, but the flutes start to give me a headache after awhile" he told me.

Might I add he chose to inform me of this while I was going pee? Well, he did.

Anyways, after that, the ride was pretty much uneventful until we stopped for lunch.

But that, my friends, is another story.

**RACETRACK**

Why am I all of a sudden the evil one? Itey's the one they ought to be worried about, not me. Idiots…

Anyways, it wasn't like I don't like those guys or anything, it's just that they don't get me. Especially Bumlets. Geez, who died and made him God?

I'd vote for him to be God. Geez, I did not just say that…

But whatever. I mean, the guy's hot. I'm not gonna say God was hot, because that's just not right, but whatever. The trip was pretty uneventful the first 100 miles or so, Snitch fell asleep, and he sleeps like a rock. It was very amusing watching Skittery try to wake him up so they could make up, and after about half an hour he gave up and turned on his Walkman.

I just sort of sat in the backseat, scribbling in my notebook. I want to publish a book someday, so I write down my thoughts and observations whenever I can. People think I'm strange, but, hey, what do they know?

"Hey, Race" Bumlets said to me when we got out for the third time that day (I swear, Snitch has a bladder the size of a quarter). "Whatcha been writing for the past three hours?"

"Oh, you know" I said vaguely. "Stuff."

In truth, I had been writing a love letter. For Bumlets, as a matter of fact, but I couldn't out-and-out tell him that, now could I?

No. I couldn't. So I lied.

"Oh. Cool" he said. "Hey, listen. Think you could take over driving duties for awhile? I'm super tired, and I need a break."

"Sure" I said, shrugging. "As long as you're sure you trust me."

Bumlets just blushed and looked away.

I raised one eyebrow. What was going on?

I didn't say anything; I just shrugged and got into the driver's seat. After some minor fiddling with it so I could get comfortable, I put the key in the ignition, and turned on the car. It gave a little shudder in response, and then the engine roared to life.

The radio, which had had a mixed CD in there, came back to life, playing "In The Name Of Love" by U2 at full volume.

"IN THE NAME OF LOVE! WHAT MORE IN THE NAME OF LOVE! IN THE NAME OF LOVE! WHAT MORE IN THE NAME OF LOVE!!"

"Augh, Race, turn it down, _chico_!" said Bumlets from the backseat.

I reached for the volume knob. I like U2 a lot, but not THAT much.

We continued on down the highway, going about 75 (I like to speed, hee hee hee), and, eventually, started to run low on gas.

"This is what happens when you go 75 constantly!" Snitch laughed as I pulled into a gas station.

I flipped him the bird, and then walked inside to use the bathroom and get a snack while the tank filled. While I was looking, my cell phone buzzed. It was Blink, in Jack's car.

"Heya Race. What's up?"

"Not too much, Blinkers. You?"

"Going slightly crazy. Spot's a good conversationalist, but even the deepest wells eventually run dry."

I laughed, I'd heard Spot smack Blink on the head and say, "Shut up, you moron, you nodded off in the middle of one of your own sentences!"

"Shut up, Spot" Blink said.

"I chuckled. "Major flirtage if I ever heard it" I told Blink.

"Ya think?! That's kind of my goal this trip."

"Good goal."

"Thanks. Listen, how many more miles till Lincoln?"

"Last time Snitch checked, about 150. Why?"

"We need to get Itey out of this car. 'Nuff said."

"I hear ya. Not too much longer, Blinkers, hang in there."

"SAVE ME!" I heard Itey yelling in the background.

"Make Itey shut up, will ya, Blink?" I heard Jack ask, quite close by. Blink must be sitting right behind him.

"Yeah yeah yeah" Blink said. I'm sure he was doing a little waving gesture with his hand. "Gotta go, Race. I'm getting a bad signal, and I'm not sure how much longer I'll get even halfway-decent reception. See ya in Nebraska."

"Hey Blink?"

"Yeah?"

"We're in Iowa, dingus. It's about two hours away."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Well…see ya then anyways!" he said brightly.

"Bye."

I walked up to the counter, paid for my food and the gas, then went back outside to find everyone had stripped off their shirts because of the sweltering Iowa heat.

I about dropped my Doritos.

Bumlets had taken off his shirt, and he was wearing those kind of jeans that sagged on his hip bones, so that a little of his boxers were sticking out.

God, he was hot. He had the most well-developed pecs I'd ever seen, and his biceps?

Damn.

I was so totally gone, I didn't even hear them calling me. In fact, I didn't notice anything except Bumlets until Pie grabbed me by the arm and started pulling me towards the car.

"Hey, Pie! What the hell?!" I exclaimed, rudely jerked back to earth.

"Come on, dipwad! We're waiting for you!"

"Jesus! I'm coming, I'm coming"

He still ended up half-dragging me to the car.

Eh, whatever. I was still envisioning my half-naked Hispanic hottie.

**ITEY**

When we got to Nebraska, I'm not gonna lie to you, I was relieved. Spot and Blink were flirting SOOO bad, and Jack didn't seem to notice. I was bored out of my MIND, and I was going stir-crazy.

We checked into a rather nice hotel in downtown Lincoln, I think it was Embassy Suites. It was a pretty damn nice room, all glass and marble counters and king-size beds. Snitch blushed when we saw them.

Gutterbrains. Gotta love 'em!

Anyways, we didn't know what to do, and we wanted to kill some time. We'd passed a smoothie place called Juice Stop on the way to our hotel, so we went there and got smoothies. I got one called 'Home Run', it had lemonade and strawberries and orange sherbet in it.

It was way good.

So we went back to the hotel (after stopping for some alcohol, natch), ordered room service, and stayed up half the night playing Truth or Dare.

Let me tell you, Truth or Dare with a bunch of plastered college guys is always a blast, no matter what.

"Spot…truth or dare?" Jack asked, still looking quite sober.

"Dare!" Spot replied, sounding quite sloshed.

"Ummm…" Jack said, looking around the room. "I dare you to…I dare you to go make out with Blink for at least three minutes!"

Spot's eyes glittered in a very freaky way. "It'd be my pleasure" he slurred.

And then, I kid you not, he reached out, grabbed Blink by the neck, and started kissing him.

I watched them for a moment with a feeling of mingled fascination and disgust. Was that his TONGUE?! Weird. (A/N: No, Itey is NOT a homophobe. This is just…a little new to him, that's all. bows)

"Anyways…" said Bumlets, looking about how I felt. "Let's see…Race! Truth or dare?"

"Truth" said Race, somehow managing to sound confident though he'd had about three beers. "Hit me with your best shot!"

Famous last words, my friend…

"What is your deepest, darkest secret?" asked Bumlets, slanting his eyes so that he looked dead sexy.

Not that I was looking, or anything…OK, maybe a little.

This clearly wasn't the kind of question that Race had been expecting. Nonetheless, he swallowed, looked around, and then announced in a clear voice (with a note of pride in it, in hindsight), "I'm gay, and I think Bumlets is hot.

Dead silence.

**END CHAPTER**

A/N: Yippee, my first cliffhanger! Yeah, I wanted to update this fic a lot, so I just typed up the most random plotline ever. Anyways…

**SHOUTOUTS: **

**Erin Go Bragh:** Yeah, I have that same problem. One of the baritones is an immature, overweight senior who likes to tell stupid dirty jokes and make fun of me for being on guard. And the chaperone lady DID kinda look ready to kill him on the way back from Columbus…AH! A SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY!

Cool. Anyway, love ya, thanx for reviewing!

**Coin: **No we're not using "Words Words Words". I just L-O-O-O-O-V-E English, and I excel at it, and I pick up random words from different places, and can somehow use the right way in the right place. I need to play a drinking game sometime. My friends' ex-boyfriend might know one…anyway, love ya, thanx for the review!

**Saturday: **No, I'm staying out of the story, and that's that. ((is very sad, but resolute)) Anyways, I put myself in too much as it is. I love it that Itey makes you crack up, he's like the little random druggie dude, only minus the drugs! So it's all good! Latah, love ya, bye!

**IT'S ALIVE!! IT'S ALIVE!!**

Bass drummers are hot.

Love,

Liz


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